Efficacy of Entomopathogenic fungi and botanicals against Rugose spiralling whitefly, Aleurodicus rugioperculatus martin in coconut under low grade (spirals

Abstract

The present study evaluated the efficacy of various Entomopathogenic Fungi and Botanicals against the rugose spiralling whitefly (RSW), Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin in coconut, focusing on different life stages including spirals, nymphs, pupae and adults. Field experiments were conducted at Horticultural Research station, Ambajipeta during 2021-2022 using randomized block design with nine treatments, including entomopathogenic fungi (Isaria fumosorosea, Cladosporium perangustum, Fusarium equiseti, Metarhizium anisopliae, Lecanicillium lecanii), azadirachtin 10, 000 ppm, jet water spray and untreated control, with five replications. Foliar sprays were applied at 15-day intervals, and observations were recorded at 7-day intervals. The results revealed significant differences among treatments across all evaluation periods (7, 14, 21 and 28 DAS). Among the tested biopesticides, I. fumosorosea NBAIR pfu-5 @ 5 ml/L exhibited the highest efficacy in reducing RSW spirals (91.05%), nymphs (82.00%), pupae (76.73%), and adults (91.97%) after 28 DAS, followed closely by azadirachtin 10, 000 ppm @ 1 ml/L, which achieved reductions of 88.02%, 78.71%, 73.29%, and 90.40%, respectively. C. perangustum and F. equiseti also demonstrated promising suppression of spirals (85.44% and 81.77%) and nymphs (73.38% and 71.20%), while M. anisopliae showed comparatively lower efficacy, particularly against pupae and adults. The untreated control consistently recorded the highest populations across all life stages, confirming the effectiveness of biopesticidal interventions.